This invention relates to hedge funds and systems and methods for offering and servicing the same. More particularly, this invention creates a low cost method for providing access to multiple hedge funds, as well as to the ability to efficiently allocate and reallocate capital among such funds, and in each case, to do so both more frequently and in smaller minimum amounts than would be possible investing directly in these hedge funds as opposed to doing so through this invention.
Hedge funds are privately-offered, highly specialized investment vehicles, to date generally available only to very high net worth individuals and institutional investors. Because they are privately offered, hedge funds are not subject to most of the portfolio and other substantive restrictions imposed on “investment companies” and “mutual funds” (publicly-offered investment funds which must, in the United States, be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940). Hedge funds have the flexibility to trade a broad array of financial instruments in global markets—including taking both long and short positions as well as trading at a wide range of different leverage factors in all manner of securities, derivatives as well as other liquid and illiquid assets.
Hedge funds implement numerous different investment strategies. Among the most common of these strategies are: convertible arbitrage, distressed securities, equity arbitrage, directional equity (long/short), event driven, fixed income arbitrage, global macro and market neutral. There is no material limitation on the strategies which hedge funds may implement.
Because the “skill-based” strategies which hedge funds implement often have as much profit potential in declining as in rising markets, hedge funds are generally perceived to offer a potentially valuable element of diversification for a traditional portfolio of “long-only” stock and bond holdings (often concentrated in a single country's economy, whereas hedge funds are able to access global markets). Modern portfolio theory has established the long-term benefits of including “non-correlated asset classes”—as hedge funds are generally classified—in an overall portfolio. However, broadly diversified, individually tailored multi-hedge fund portfolios have to date been inaccessible to all but the extraordinarily wealthy because of the high minimum investment required, the difficulty of obtaining access to many of the most successful funds and the inability to exchange among unaffiliated funds.
Not only are hedge funds' minimum investments typically very large, but also such investments are typically illiquid. Hedge funds impose severe limitations on investors' ability to make as well as redeem investments (redemptions often being the only meaningful source of hedge fund investor liquidity as there is no market for many hedge fund interests). Redemptions generally are permitted as infrequently as quarterly, semi-annually or even only annually. Numerous funds impose even more restrictive redemption terms (e.g., a 2 to 3 year required commitment). Moreover, in order to redeem, advance notification, generally ranging from 30 to 90 days, is commonly required. Once a redemption has been permitted, many hedge funds do not pay the first installment of redemption proceeds until 45-60 days after the effective date of redemption, and in the case of a complete redemption by an investor it is not uncommon for a hedge fund to withhold up to 10% of the estimated value of the redemption proceeds until completion of the fund's annual audit (which may be more than a year after the redemption date). The illiquidity of hedge fund investments serves as a material entry barrier to smaller investors as, due to such illiquidity, they must have no need, contingent or otherwise, for the substantial amounts which they must invest in a hedge fund. Such illiquidity also increases the difficulty of participating in individual tailored, diversified portfolios of hedge funds.
Not only has the large minimum investment size and illiquidity of hedge funds made it difficult for most investors to participate in diversified portfolios of hedge funds selected individually by such investors, but also the material differences between hedge funds in features unrelated to the strategy implemented (e.g., redemption provisions, minimum subscriptions, tax reporting, etc.) have made allocating and reallocating among different funds the province only of specialized “funds of funds” managers capable of evaluating these differences and developing combination portfolios with overall structural attributes consistent with their portfolio objectives. These managers add significantly to the overall economic costs to investors as well as restricting or eliminating “investment transparency” as disclosure of the hedge funds included in the portfolios which they develop to investors would compromise the confidentiality of the managers' asset allocation strategies.
A more fundamental disadvantage of “funds of funds” managers is that “funds of funds” managers cannot select hedge fund portfolios with any single investor in mind, as opposed to the generalized portfolio objectives of the aggregate group of investors in their “funds of funds.” However, different investors have very different particular objectives and risk tolerance levels as well as different core portfolios which they are seeking to diversify.
Another impediment to individually tailored multi-hedge fund portfolios has been that acceptance into a hedge fund into which an investor wished to reallocate capital has heretofore by no means been assured. The delays in obtaining such acceptance (and, in certain cases, the inability to do so) are disruptive of an asset allocation strategy.
The administrative entry barriers to smaller investors participating in diversified hedge fund portfolios have also been high. Private placements in general usually have complicated and burdensome subscription documents which must be signed by all investors. Privately-placed hedge funds have particularly complicated and burdensome subscription documents because investors must, for regulatory purposes, provide the sponsor with a number of representations and warranties peculiar to private investment funds in order to verify the subscriber's eligibility and allow them to subscribe. Completing and processing the necessary subscription documentation makes hedge fund investing procedurally difficult—typically the province of institutions and wealthy family offices with the resources to employ staff to perform this function.